[01/21/11 - 07:45 AM]Syfy.com Announces New Sci-Fi Web Series "The Mercury Men" Debuts in Early 2011The site's last original, "Riese: Kingdom Falling," generated 1.2 million streams in only two months.

[via press release from Syfy]

MARKING MAJOR EXPANSION OF ORIGINAL DIGITAL CONTENT FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF "RIESE: KINGDOM FALLING," SYFY.COM ANNOUNCES NEW SCI-FI WEB SERIES "THE MERCURY MEN" DEBUTS IN EARLY 2011

"RIESE: KINGDOM FALLING" DELIVERS MORE THAN ONE MILLION STREAMS IN JUST TWO MONTHS

NEW YORK - January 21, 2011 - Following the enormous success of the series Riese: Kingdom Falling - which generated 1.2 million streams in only two months - Syfy.com will expand its original digital content slate with the 10-part The Mercury Men, it was announced today by Craig Engler, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Syfy Digital.

Created by acclaimed director Christopher Preksta (Captain Blasto), The Mercury Men (each episode runs approximately seven minutes) will premiere exclusively in early 2011.

Said Engler: "Mercury Men is a phenomenal project and I think sci-fi fans and Syfy viewers are going to absolutely love it. We've been following the series since Chris (Preksta) posted the first trailer online, and we're thrilled to be able to work with him and host Mercury Men's worldwide debut on Syfy.com."

Drawing on the same retro serials that inspired films such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, The Mercury Men is set in Pittsburgh in 1975. Edward Borman (Mark Tierno/The Road, Day of the Dead), a lowly government office drone, finds himself trapped when the deadly Men of Mercury seize the building as a staging ground for their nefarious plot.

Aided by Jack Yaeger (Curt Wootten/Captain Blasto, The Hidden Blade), a daring aerospace engineer from a mysterious organization known as "The League," and Grace (Amy Staggs/Friday Night Lights, Death Proof), who was only at the building to get a government form stamped, Edward must stop the invaders and their Doomsday Device, the Gravity Engine.

The Mercury Men is written and directed by Christopher Preksta, best known as the writer/director of Captain Blasto, for which he was nominated for two Streamy Awards. His work has been showcased at prestigious events including the Tribeca Film Festival and Comic-Con. Producer is Kati Lightholder.

Syfy.com is one of the leading imagination-based websites, averaging 5.5 million visits per month. Syfy.com includes the lifestyle blogs Blastr, DVICE and FIDGIT; Syfy Games featuring popular games such as Eureka Genius Bowl and the MMOG Dark Orbit; major show sites for the channel's scripted and unscripted programming, from Warehouse 13 and Ghost Hunters to Eureka and Destination Truth, and video hubs showcasing original short form content and video blogs along with Syfy Rewind, which presents full episodes of Syfy's critically acclaimed programming.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)